Aug. 8 is National Frozen Custard Day. You can celebrate it at these 10 shops in the Milwaukee area.

Claire Reid, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·8 min read
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Milwaukee is the unofficial "frozen custard capital of the world."

In a city famous for this delicious frozen treat, it's only right for Milwaukeeans to celebrate National Frozen Custard Day, which, this year, falls on Tuesday, Aug. 8.

Milwaukee's oldest custard shop, Gilles Frozen Custard, founded in 1938, is unfortunately closed on Tuesday, but there are still plenty of spots to celebrate this sweet holiday.

With more custard places than any other city on Earth, we can't list them all, but here are 10 Milwaukee-area custard shops where you can get a scoop (or two) to celebrate National Frozen Custard Day.

At Leon’s Frozen Custard, Fin McGonegle, 2, and his father, Owen McGonegle of Milwaukee, enjoy their frozen custard on a hot summer afternoon.
At Leon’s Frozen Custard, Fin McGonegle, 2, and his father, Owen McGonegle of Milwaukee, enjoy their frozen custard on a hot summer afternoon.

Leon's Frozen Custard

Milwaukee's second-oldest custard shop, Leon's Frozen Custard, 3131 S. 27th St., was opened on May 1, 1942, by Leon Schneider. The Schneider family has run the business ever since.

Leon's is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. year-round, even in the winter. The shop offers four custard flavors daily: vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan and a special "flavor of the day." Flavors of the day often include strawberry, raspberry, mint, maple walnut, cinnamon and blue moon.

Leon's also has a full-service soda fountain, limited sandwich menu, sundaes, floats, malts and shakes. The shop's full menu can be found online at leonsfrozencustard.us.

Donovin Harris eats custard at Kopps in Glendale following his graduation from Escuela Verde.
Donovin Harris eats custard at Kopps in Glendale following his graduation from Escuela Verde.

Kopp's Frozen Custard

One of the Milwaukee area's most well-known custard brands, Kopp's Frozen Custard, opened its first stand in 1950 at 60th and Appleton Ave.

The original location is no longer around, but Kopp's now has three locations in Greenfield at 7631 W. Layton Ave., in Brookfield at 18880 W. Bluemound Rd and in Glendale at 5373 N. Port Washington Rd. All locations are open from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Kopp's was the first custard stand to offer flavors of the day in addition to classic vanilla and chocolate and has invented unique flavors throughout its 70-plus years. Unique creations on the flavor calendar this month include banana walnut chocolate chunk, rum and coca-cola, Kahlua colada and Spumoni ― a mix of pistachio nut, burgundy cherry and chocolate almond custards. The flavors of the day on National Frozen Custard Day are butter pecan and cherry amaretto cheesecake.

Kopp's also has a grill menu with burgers, chicken sandwiches and fish. The full menu can be found online at kopps.com/menu.

Oscar's Frozen Custard & Sandwiches opened in 1984 in West Allis. It has a Waukesha location and it opened a third location in 2017 in Franklin.
Oscar's Frozen Custard & Sandwiches opened in 1984 in West Allis. It has a Waukesha location and it opened a third location in 2017 in Franklin.

Oscar's Frozen Custard & Sandwiches

Oscar's Frozen Custard & Sandwiches opened in 1984 in a converted West Allis barn at 2362 S. 108th St. Since then, Oscar's has added two additional locations in Waukesha at 21165 E. Moreland Blvd. and in Franklin at 7041 S. 27th St. All locations are currently open 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.

Each day, Oscar's offers vanilla and chocolate custard and a flavor of the day. The flavors of the day for National Frozen Custard Day are orange Dreamsicle or Oscar's Delight ― bits of chocolate and pecan pieces swirled into vanilla custard.

Oscar's also has a wide selection of burgers, chicken, fish, sandwiches, salads, malts, shakes and sundae specials, including Oscar's Mountain ― seven scoops of chocolate and vanilla custard covered in a variety of sugary toppings. The complete Oscar's menu can be found online.

LeDuc's Frozen Custard in Wales won the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Custard Madness Tournament in 2019. The tournament was conducted via Lake Country Now's social media pages, with voting on its Instagram account.
LeDuc's Frozen Custard in Wales won the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Custard Madness Tournament in 2019. The tournament was conducted via Lake Country Now's social media pages, with voting on its Instagram account.

LeDuc's Frozen Custard

LeDuc's Frozen Custard at 240 W. Summit Ave., Wales opened in 1980. It's about 30 minutes from downtown Milwaukee, but many say it's worth the trip. LeDuc's is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Every day, LeDuc's offers vanilla, chocolate and a flavor of the day. Its custard recipe has been the same since the shop opened, and its custard is made fresh daily. LeDuc's makes about 75 different flavors that rotate through the flavor of the day lineup. Pistachio is the flavor of the day on National Frozen Custard Day.

LeDuc's has a large selection of packaged custard in pints and quarts for custard fans to take home. The shop also makes specialty sundaes, shakes and malts, and has a food menu with burgers, sandwiches, cheese curds, soup and more. The full LeDuc's menu can be found online.

Bubba's Custard serves a popular black raspberry flavor.
Bubba's Custard serves a popular black raspberry flavor.

Bubba's Frozen Custard

Bubba's Frozen Custard at 1276 Capitol Dr., Pewaukee was founded in 1998 and has extensive, fresh-made food and custard offerings.

Bubba's makes malts, shakes, concretes, root beer floats and specialty sundaes, including banana split, strawberry shortcake and turtle sundaes. The restaurant's custard offerings include a flavor of the day; black raspberry is one of the most popular, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found. Bubba's flavor of the day on National Frozen Custard Day is Oreo mint.

Bubba's also offers custom-made 1/3-lb. "Jumbo" burgers, wings, Chicago-Style hotdogs, cheese fries, a Friday fish fry and more. The complete menu can be found online at bubbasfrozencustard.com/menu.

A sticker from Dairyland Old-Fashioned Hamburgers, a new restaurant operated by three chefs with backgrounds in fine dining.
A sticker from Dairyland Old-Fashioned Hamburgers, a new restaurant operated by three chefs with backgrounds in fine dining.

Dairyland Old-Fashioned Hamburgers

Dairyland Old-Fashioned Hamburgers in 3rd St. Market Hall at 275 W. Wisconsin Ave. aspires to "bring back the fond memories of the roadside burger stands" many Wisconsinites enjoyed growing up.

Dairyland offers sweet cream custard, chocolate and a flavor of the day. Its sweet cream flavor just won first place in the Dairy Products Contest at the Wisconsin State Fair.

The spot also features unique flavors like Animal House ― sweet cream custard, Carousel cookies and strawberry jam; pi?a colada and Cinnamon Toast Crunch with cinnamon custard and cereal toppings. The flavor of the day on National Frozen Custard Day is raspberry layer cake ― raspberry sherbet with vanilla sponge cake, white chocolate mousse, raspberry jam and graham cracker crunch.

Dairyland also makes shakes, malts, floats, burgers, chicken sandwiches and more. The complete menu can be found online at ilovedairyland.com.

West Bend Creamery, an eatery to serve custard and other items, plans on opening the end of July. It will be at 600 N. Main Street. Previously, it was Toucan Food & Custard.
West Bend Creamery, an eatery to serve custard and other items, plans on opening the end of July. It will be at 600 N. Main Street. Previously, it was Toucan Food & Custard.

West Bend Creamery

The Milwaukee area's newest custard shop, West Bend Creamery at 600 N. Main St. in West Bend, just opened on July 25. This new spot is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

West Bend Creamery makes small, regular and large custard sundaes in the following flavors: chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, pineapple, raspberry, blueberry, cherry, butterscotch, hot fudge, caramel, peanut butter and marshmallow. To-go pints, quarts and half-gallons of custard are also available.

The creamery also serves shakes, malts, slushies, root beer floats, specialty sundaes, coffee and other sweet treats. The grill menu features 1/3 lb. Certified Angus Beef burgers, a Pickle Po’ Boy, Nashville hot chicken sandwich, fish fry and more. West Bend Creamery's full menu can be found online.

Customers fill the parking lot at The Kiltie drive-in restaurant in Oconomowoc on Tuesday, May 12, 2020.
Customers fill the parking lot at The Kiltie drive-in restaurant in Oconomowoc on Tuesday, May 12, 2020.

Kiltie Drive-In

The Kiltie Drive-In at 36154 Wisconsin Ave., Oconomowoc is a long-time Waukesha County favorite. It's open daily in the summertime from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Guests can enjoy numerous custard and Dole whip flavors with a variety of toppings, including fruit, cheesecake bites, chocolate pieces, candy and nuts. The Kiltie also sells shakes, malts, slushies, specialty sundaes, burgers, chicken, mac 'n cheese bites and more.

Servers can bring your order straight to your car, and you can enjoy your food in your car or at the shop's outdoor picnic tables. Make sure to bring cash when visiting this spot because, according to the Facebook page, the Kiltie does not accept debit or credit cards.

Visit the Kiltie Facebook page for menu updates, current flavors and more information.

Milk Can Hamburgers & Frozen Custard started as a food truck business before opening two brick and mortar locations, one in Muskego and the other at the former Ferch's location in Greendale.
Milk Can Hamburgers & Frozen Custard started as a food truck business before opening two brick and mortar locations, one in Muskego and the other at the former Ferch's location in Greendale.

Milk Can Hamburgers and Frozen Custard and the Milk Can Diner

Sister restaurants Milk Can Hamburgers and Frozen Custard at S73W16770 W. Janesville Road, Muskego and Milk Can Diner at 5636 Broad St., Greendale offer frozen custard made fresh and churned daily in-house in addition to their extensive food menus.

The Muskego location offers vanilla, chocolate and a featured flavor with toppings including hot fudge, salted caramel, various candies, nuts and brownie bits. The Greendale location offers vanilla and chocolate custard and serves 99-cent scoops during Happy Hour.

Both locations also offer a variety of other sweet treats, including sundaes and warm cookies and brownies. The Milk Can Diner even serves custard-based "boozy shakes," including a sweet take on a Brandy Old Fashioned. Both locations also make a variety of burgers, salads, sandwiches and more.

The complete Milk Can Hamburgers and Frozen Custard menu and the Milk Can Diner menu can be found online.

No need to decide among fries, onion rings or potato tots at Hefner's Custard in Cedarburg; the stand lets customers combine fries and onion rings or fries and tots.
No need to decide among fries, onion rings or potato tots at Hefner's Custard in Cedarburg; the stand lets customers combine fries and onion rings or fries and tots.

Hefner's Frozen Custard

Hefner's Frozen Custard at N71W5184 Columbia Road, Cedarburg was opened in 1995 by Tom Holubowicz, a former Kopp's employee who named his business after his mother. After Holubowicz died in 2017, his son and daughter took over as owners. Hefner's is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Hefner's offers a flavor of the day, and, on National Frozen Custard Day, it's strawberry cheesecake. Other sweet treat offerings at Hefner's include malts, slushies, smoothies, shakes, floats and sundaes. The restaurant even has a sundae treat for dogs!

Hefner's grill menu includes burgers, sandwiches, chicken strips, mozzarella sticks, cheese curds and more. The full menu can be found online.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Try these Milwaukee area frozen custard shops for National Custard Day

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